At 2226 yesterday evening I concluded my second reading of Guy Gavriel Kay's The Last Light of the Sun, set in a fictional world during a period equivalent to the reign of Alfred the Great. This is the novel that, after my first reading, I considered less inspired than Kay's normal output (but still a fine read). I came away more favorably impressed this time round, though my prime Kay recommendations remain those mentioned in an earlier posting. I noticed a good many (insignificant) references to places (mostly), people and events from other Kay novels set in the same "world" that I did not pick up on during my first reading ten years ago.

I have tentatively started a re-read of Jonathan Wylie's The Unbalanced Earth Trilogy, Volume 1: Dreams of Stone but am not sure I'll stick with it.

This post has been edited by Decrepit: Nov 26 2016, 02:00 PM

At 0358 this morning, just prior to shambling out of bed, I concluded my third reading of Dreams of Stone, volume 1 of Jonathan Wylie's The Unbalanced Earth Trilogy. Last read roughly 18 years ago this was a fairly fresh experience. I deem it a satisfactory read but nothing special. I spent much of the read debating how best to classify it. The book labels itself as fantasy. Not far in I began to feel that science-fantasy, as some Wolfe books used to be classified, might be closer to the mark. Occasionally it felt more science fiction. Then it would veer back to science-fantasy or even straight-up fantasy. And so on. In the end I settled on labeling it Speculative Fiction and calling it a day. I also found it interesting that Wylie's descriptions are such that it is hard to discern what earth-equivalent period, if any, the book equates to. It definitely takes place some years following an apocalypse of some sort, but this is kept somewhat vague and subject to debate in volume one.

I'll likely begin volume 2, The Lightless Kingdom, ere day's end.

This post has been edited by Decrepit: Nov 29 2016, 01:01 PM

I am almost halfway through Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel. It is the prequel to the Rogue One film, about the main character's parents. Her father appears to be the guy who built the Death Star's superlaser, though so far he has not signed on to the project. It starts during the Clone Wars, which end about 40% of the way though the book (where I am at). Even then they were building the Death Star.

I finished Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel. It was ok, but nothing special. It is not the space romp adventure I tend to expect from a Star Wars tale. In fact, it feels rather unfocused. It just sort of meanders through the Clone Wars and ends about 5 years afterward.

Still, it does give us a better idea of the building of the Death Star than anything else so far. At least of its early stages. I liked the similarities to the Atom bomb, in that work on it started during the Clone Wars. The Republic had to have it because Count Dooku and the Separatists were building one. So the Republic had to have theirs first. Of course we know that Dooku was working for Palpatine all along, and that there was no Separatist battle station. But no one else knew that. Then after the war ended the Empire needed it to keep the peace.

Another thing I liked was that it also gives an idea of what the early Empire was like. I remember back when the original movies were out my impression was that the Emperor had seized power in a coup, which had been rather quick, and then the Empire ruled supreme in the galaxy. The prequel movies only reinforced that idea.

But I saw mentions of numerous battles and campaigns in a lot of the West End game sourcebooks, and other places. Catalyst sheds some light on that. The Empire was never at peace. Even after Anakin killed the Separatist ruling council and shut down all the battle droids, there were still Separatist holdouts in the Western Reaches of the Outer Rim (which I believe is the area with Endor, Hoth, Jakku, Bakura, and so forth). Fighting against them continued on after the Empire's creation. Apparently some of those Separatists were still around after the Emperor's death!

But that was not all. Not all worlds in the galaxy were part of the Republic, and some were only nominally part of it, being autonomous in most respects. The Empire was quick to go to war with these areas as well. The Salient system is one such place that figures into the book, where the main antagonist Orson Krennic manages to trick Tarkin into a protracted war against the inhabitants.

So from the moment of its inception to its demise, the Empire was constantly at war. They were just small wars, against small enemies. Nothing rivaled them in size and power. So the Empire won these wars. But there were so many, and so spread out, that it obviously kept them constantly busy and stretched out.

Speaking of Orson, I found I really liked him as the antagonist. He was a scientist who was never really all that great at science, and he knew it. So instead he became an engineer, and became a team leader instead of a researcher. His talent was in bringing talented people together and making them productive. He does this with the main protagonist - Galen Erso. Orson plays Erso like a harp from hell. Tricking him into inventing the Death Star's superlaser, when Erso is in fact a pacifist who refused to take sides in the Clone Wars. Erso thought he was using Kyber crystals to create a new source of energy for third world planets. Which is of course what he wanted to believe. I liked that Orson didn't threaten or cajole Erso or any of the others. He knew that there were more ways to motivate people, and brute force was not always it.

One thing that came to mind as I was reading was that I noticed that the Star Wars villains tend to be monkish people. It even gets directly mentioned in the book when Galen and Orson are talking, that Orson never married or had a serious LTR. We never saw the Emperor with a hot babe hanging off his arm. I don't think Tarkin was ever laid, not even once in his life. Vidian (the antagonist from A New Dawn) was entirely aesexual and in fact literally robotic). Anakin/Vader only had one girlfriend, and he essentially killed her. I think Prince Xizor had a whole seduction thing going on with Leia, but I don't really remember that too well, and it was more part of his plan than any genuine desire on his part to have female companionship. Maybe if these guys would just go to the strip bar once and a while they wouldn't be such dicks?

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Dec 1 2016, 11:55 PM

That's interesting, Khajiit never thought about that. Just figured with Palpatine it was because people were too afraid of him to want to be near enough to him to be romantic. Perhaps the darkside makes it to where you are too interested in the search for power to be interested in romance. Or maybe since you are channeling strong negative emotions it makes you unable desire intimacy?

Since I am watching X-Files, Mulder immediately comes to mind. He is a man so consumed by his passion to find his Truth, that there is literally no room in his life for anything else. The Star Wars villains tend to be the same. They simply don't have time - don't want to make time - for a girlfriend, much less a wife.

Exactly

At 0208 this morning I brought to conclusion my third reading of Jonathan Wylie's The Lightless Kingdom, volume II of The Unbalanced Earth Trilogy. As with book one, I found it an enjoyable read but not a fantasy for the ages. Like that first volume I consider it more science-fantasy and often pure science-fiction than fantasy, though there are certainly fantasy elements (and magic) in it.

I began volume III immediately afterward but was thankfully able to put it down after page one and get a tad more sleep before waking for the day (at as still-too-early circa 0341).

This post has been edited by Decrepit: Dec 5 2016, 11:33 AM

Today I finished with Scoundrels by Tiimothy Zahn. Unlike Catalyst, this was a definite space adventure romp. Or more precisely, a team heist story ala Oceans Eleven, with lots of twists and turns. Zahn definitely knows how to write Star Wars. He gives us a slew of characters - Han, Chewie, and Lando we all know from the movies. Some of the others like Winter and Kell Tainer we know from previous Star Wars novels. Some like Bink, Tavia, and Zerba are brand new. All of them are interesting, fun, very good at what they do, yet not overpowered to the point of being annoying.

The tale itself has plenty of twists and turns and factions going against one another. I won't go into detail to avoid spoilers. But there is a really cute homage to Raiders of the Lost Ark near the end. I was even able to guess who one character really was before Zahn did the big reveal at the end. All in all, a very fun read.

I forgot to add, I also read Winner Lose All, also by Zahn. It is just a short story, sort of a companion piece to Scoundrels. Even though it was written earlier. It includes Lando and several of the other characters in Scoundrels. This time they are planning to steal a precious statuette during a sabacc tournament, until things take a turn. Like Scoundrels, it is a lot of fun with gamblers, ghost burglars, and the seamy side of the Galaxy.

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Dec 10 2016, 12:12 AM

At 1520 this afternoon I concluded my third reading of Jonathan Wylie's The Age of Chaos, volume three of The Unbalanced Earth Trilogy. This book does not change my opinion that the series is a decent read but not a fantasy for the ages.

I have tentatively settled on Margaret Wies and Tracy Hickman's Rose of the Prophet series to (re)read next, but am far from sure I'll stick with it.

This post has been edited by Decrepit: Dec 10 2016, 12:14 AM

Since I'm about to go visit my mother in the UK, I downloaded the next four Discworld books to my e-reader. I've managed to keep those for "reading on the plane only" so far, but I'm getting sucked in ...

Isn't it uncanny?

That a flat world can have so much depth

I'm gonna have to get back to those again, sooner or later. *Adds to absurdly long list of books to reread*


I'm still working my way through the Malazan series, though at a more leisurely rate than last time, hoping to avoid burning out on them again. Book 7, currently.

I finished Chuck Wendig's Aftermath and Aftermath: Life Debt books. His writing style - Third Person, Present Tense - makes them extremely difficult to read. I almost gave up completely after just a few pages. But I stuck with it, and I did enjoy the novels. But not as much as I would have if he had used the past tense.

The story is decent in both books. They take us through the latter stages of the Galactic Civil War. Wendig uses both the main characters in the main story to show us what is happening in the war, and intersperses that with little interludes on different worlds around the galaxy to show us how the conflict has changed the lives of people, both prominent and ordinary. The latter interludes distract from the main plot, but I understand why they are there. These books are meant to convey the experience of the war everywhere in the galaxy, not just for a select group of characters.

The characters themselves were wonderful. Especially when I realized that the teenager Temmin is the very same X-Wing pilot we saw in The Force Awakens. I liked that his relationship with his mother Norra (also a main character) was very strained. Another writer might have made it easy for the two to relate after Mom's return from years of fighting with the Rebellion. But Wendig makes her pay for leaving her son for the sake of fighting the good fight on other worlds than her home.

The Zabrak bounty hunter Jas is a fun addition, although I kind of feel she is a bit too Mary Sue at times. The Imperial renegade Sinjir is wonderful with his cynicism and sarcasm, traits only matched by his alcoholism. And he's also gay. Which is astounding to see in print. Even more amazing is an interlude including a transgendered pirate captain, whom I think we might see more of in the final book of the trilogy.

We also see Han, Chewie, Leia, and Wedge as well. Luke is very noticeable by his absence, considering how world changing some of the events are, and the amount of time the novels take place over. I would have expected at least some mention of him and what he was doing during all this. But I don't mind much. The truth is I like seeing new characters over the same old ones from the original films over and over again.

The villains do not disappoint. Admiral Rae Sloane is a solid villain. We have seen her in other books by other writers, and she remains consistent across all of them. That is really good. As a matter of fact, that is one thing I have to give props to Disney for. The books in their new continuity seem to mesh with one another better than those of the old EU did. Rae is a great example. Not just in herself, but also because one of her mentors (and rivals) was Count Vidian from A New Dawn. Rae learned a lot from Vidian, and we see her remembering quotes of his in other books she is in, like: Forget The Past.

The second book ends with everyone moving toward Jakku. I am looking forward to reading exactly how that planet became a graveyard of ships in The Force Awakens.

I started reading Rogue One. I have not gotten far, but have already recognized a few scenes from the trailers. One thing I can say for sure, is that this is a lot more gritty and harsh than your typical Star Wars fare.

Khajiit likes gritty and harsh!

I gave up on Rose of the Profit only pages in and am now on page 416 of 614 of my third reading of Mickey Zucker Reichert's The Renshai Trilogy, book one: The Last Renshai. I expect this to be the last book read in full this year, though I'll surely start in on book two before 2017 rolls in.

That being the case, I'm going to jump the gun and submit my pointless annual reading recap for 2016.

I read thirty-nine qualifying titles to completion, forty counting the book I'm on now, which I'll surely finish by year's end. That's a marked increase over twenty-three read last year. Thirty-one are fantasy, three historic fiction classics in their country of origin, three history, two classical music related, one popular culture celebrity autobiography. The autobiography was a loan from my brother. All other books are owned by me. All are traditional paper printings. Nine were first-reads, the rest re-reads.


Best First-read of the Year: The Deluge, volumes 1 & 2, epic-scale historic fiction by Henryk Sienkiewcz as translated by W.S. Kuniczak. This is hands-down winner in its category. Nothing else comes close. It is also the very first novel(s) I read this year. I knew from the get-go that they would be next to impossible to knock off their pedestal. Can't say I'm disappointed in proving myself right. Deluge is the second book in Sienkiewcz's “Trilogy”. I read book one, With Fire and Sword, during 2015. It's on par with Deluge. I'm not as fond of book three, Fire in the Steppe, but think highly of it and the trilogy as a whole. The Trilogy gets my strongest recommendation, with the caveat that English-only readers should insist on the Kuniczak translations and avoid all others.


Best Re-read of the Year: Memory, Sorrow and Thorn by Tad Williams. Like the Sienkiewcz, a four book trilogy. A long-time favorite more-or-less traditional Tolkien inspired epic fantasy.

Best Re-read of the Year, very honorable mention: The Quest of the Riddlemaster series by Patricia A. Mckillip. I hadn't read this since 1999 and had forgotten just how good it is.

Best Re-read of the Year, honorable mention: Under Heaven and River of Stars by Guy Gaviel Kay. Kay is pound for pound my favorite active fantasy writer. These two stand-alone yet related novels rank high on, but do not top, my list of favorite Kay.


Pleasant Surprise of the Year: Tales of Alvin Maker, books 1, 2 and 3 by Orson Scott Card. I've owned these for ages. Tried to read them at least twice before. Never got far. Just couldn't get into 'em. Tried again this May. To my surprise and delight, I quite enjoyed them. Not enough to make me immediately order later volumes, though I don't rule it out later on.

Most Frustrating Read of the Year: The Dark Border by Paul Edwin Zimmer. These two books are re-reads. I knew what to expect going in. Even so, the conclusion of book two, King Chandos' Ride, vexed me to no end. Rather, its lack of conclusion. The books do a decent job of establishing and developing interesting characters and plot lines, enough so that we, I at least, want to know how it all turns out. Then, as one of the central characters enters into what is surely going to be a combat scene, POOF!, the end. Plot lines and characters' stories remain unfinished. So abrupt is the non-ending that it's as if the manuscript's final few chapters were lost en route to the publisher, who decided to print it as-is anyway. (Along this same line, I re-read a two book series by Thorarinn Gunnarsson, Song of the Dwarves and Revenge of the Valkyrie, that was surely supposed to have followups but never got them. Unlike Dark Border, the two books we have don't leave us hanging.)

This post has been edited by Decrepit: Dec 18 2016, 09:52 PM

At 0818 this morning I finished my third reading of Mickey Zucker Reichert's The Renshai Trilogy, book one, The Last Renshai. A solid, enjoyable fantasy. I'll surely begin book two, The Western Wizard, ere day's end.

I've bailed again on the Malazan series. I can only read so many instances of massively powerful, resourceful, or divinely-touched characters resolving problems of ever increasing scale. Especially when some of the characters are so inexplicably powerful that it's eminently clear they're merely a plot device masquerading as a character.

Instead I'm rereading the Republic Commando books.

This post has been edited by Callidus Thorn: Dec 21 2016, 07:59 PM

I finished reading Rogue One: A Star Wars Story by Alexander Freed. It is of course the novelization of the film. First off, his writing is excellent. I look forward to reading other books by him.

It naturally mirrors the film. But given the format, the book gives us more insight minds and motives of the characters. Jyn Erso especially has a great deal of character development, as she grapples with her issues of abandonment. It really is a marvel to see her and the other Rogues overcome their fear, guilt, and hopelessness to find the best part of themselves. And they all find that heart of kyber within them all before the end.

A very good read.

“The Force is with me, and I am with the Force.”

At 1548 this afternoon I concluded my initial reading of Jessica Amanda Salmonson's A Silver Thread of Madness, a collection of short-stories by ms Salmonson written between the mid seventies and late eighties. I've owned this book a long time. Likely never got around to reading it until now because 1) I'm just not a short-story person, and 2) the author's introductory note that reads in part, "...the great art of modern literature is found all but exclusively in the short story . . . Those authors who have forsaken the short story for the less competitive and monetarily greener pastures of the novel have by and large abandoned art." What the ...?????

The book is divided into three parts, Six Legends, Silver Threads of Madness, and Tales of Naipon. To the extent a non short-story lover is able to judge such things I found the stories contained within those divisions of varying interest, some decent, some mediocre, a few I didn't care for at all. They tended to become rather predictable and same-old same-old after a while, but I'm not sure how this could have been avoided in a collection of works by the same author.

No idea what I'll tackle next.

This post has been edited by Decrepit: Dec 28 2016, 12:54 AM